Local News

The Williston city council devoted most of its Tuesday evening meeting to a discussion of utility rates and billing procedures, and much of it is good news for the consumer.

Finance director Mary Barsenas told council that she had been working with Progress Energy (from whom the city gets its electrical power) to mitigate the spikes in the power adjustment that often result from abnormal cold or hot spells during the year. Adjustments charged to the city by Progress Energy are passed on monthly to the consumer.

U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite has dropped out of her GOP primary campaign to seek re-election citing health reasons and endorsed Hernando County Sheriff Richard B. Nugent in the race for the 5th Congressional District.

Brown-Waite's Washington, D.C., office confirmed the email sent out this morning was authentic and that the congresswoman would serve out her term until January 2011.

It's deadline time for getting those Census forms back in the mail and it's worth a lot of money to every person in Levy County.

For each warm body that is counted, it's estimated that Levy County will receive about $3,600 annually from the federal government for the next 10 years. That's because Census numbers determine how $400 billion in federal money is distributed.

The 2010 Sunshine Census, the state's effort in getting an accurate count, has launched the “My Community Counts: Do Your Part.”

Levy County children who do not participate in athletic leagues but join in recreation programs will be the beneficiaries of a change in the county’s recreation funds policy.

The County Board of County Commissioners approved the policy change to allow the $60,000 annual budget — $12,000 per commissioner, to be spent on more than athletic activities by a 3-1 vote. Commission Chair Nancy Bell cast the dissenting vote. Commissioner Marsha Drew, who initiated discussion several months ago to change the policy, was absent from Tuesday’s meeting due to illness.

Third-generation County Commissioner Sammy Yearty was ordered to serve 33 months in federal prison followed by three years probation and pay $10,300 in fines for soliciting and accepting a part of a $10,000 bribe from an undercover FBI agent posing as a developer and lying to the FBI about it. Yearty, who has held office since being appointed in 1978 by then-Gov. Reubin Askew, was sentenced on Monday afternoon in Gainesville by federal District Chief Judge Stephan P.